Improvement in electro-magnetic apparatus for registering votes



1. BLACKIE.

Electric Register. No. 63.201. Patented March 26,1867.

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IMPROVEMENT IN ELEGTRO-MAGNETIO APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING VOTES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY GOI l'CERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN BLACKIE, of New York, in the county of Ncw'York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements'in.Electrical Instruments for Recording Votes and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulhclear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention consists in the constructing of an instrumentby which a series of balls are caused to be moved from either side of the dial or face, and be deposited in tubes, to indicate or represent the votes of legislators or similar persons, at the will of the voter, the same to be operated by electricity.

Figure 1 is a front view, with a portion shown in section on the line :v z of fi Figure 2 is a vertical sectiontaken on the line y y ofiig. 1; and Figure 3 is a top plan view of a pair of the magnets or coils and receiving troughson each side of the face or dial.

The motive or operating part of my apparatus'consists of an clectro-magnet of novel construction, as shown at C, of fig. 2, where it is represented in longitudinal section. I construct this magnet by taking a tube of soft iron, as represented by T, and winding around it an insulated wire, the same as in ordinary magnets t t, representing the two ends of the wire leading to the battery. The centre of this tube Ifill with a piece'efoard-board as shown by b, or-by any similar substance, which I do for the purpose of preventing the ball a from rolling through and falling out at the opposite end of the tube when the latter is inclined, as hereinafter explained. Ithenconstruct for use in connection with this magnet a hollow' iron ball, a, the object of making it hollow being to render it light so as to be easily moved, and thus require less battery power to operatethe device; These balls I make by striking up, in suitable dies, hemispheres of sheetmetal, which are then fitted and soldered together, and then turned off perfectly round and smooth on their outer surface. Having provided a suflicient number of these magnets and a corresponding number of balls, I arrange the magnets in any suitable frame or box in rows, side by side, the row being inclined from the centre upward toward the outer edge of the frame or box, as indicated by the series of holes 1, 2, 8tc., in fig. 1, these holes being simply the ends ofthe tubes T, where they protrude through or come nearly flush with the face of the frame A. Any required number of these rows of magnets may be thus arranged one above another in the frame, and the rows may consist of any desired num. ber of magnets thus arranged. The series of magnets and balls on one side, as, for instance, on the right in this case, will represent the nays, while those on the left will represent the yeas, there being, of course. as many of each as there are persons to vote. In front of each row of magnets is arranged an inclined spout or trough, c, as shown in figs. 1 and 2, these spouts joining at their lower ends to a vertical tube, B, which has an opening or hole in its side opposite the end of the spout of sufiieient size to permit the ball a to enter, as shown in fig. 1,,where the right-handtuhc B is shown in section for the' purpose of exhibiting these openings. The vertical tubes B should be of such length below the mouth of the lowest spout as to contain all the balls on that side of the frame; and it should hernade of glass, or, if of metal, should have a slit or opening in it, as represented by e of fig. 1, for the purpose of permitting the balls a to be seen and counted when therein. These tubes B should also be grad= uated and numbered with marks opposite each ball, so that the number that may be in the tubes can be seen and told at a glance. In the bottom of the frame or'box A is located a drawer, D, as shown infigs. 1 and 2, this drawer being located so as to recevc the balls a as they passfrom the lower ends of the tubes B. To prevent the balls (1 from p'assingfrom the tubes prematurely, a. stop, at, is attached to the drawer in such a position as 'to close the lower ends of said tubes when the'drawer is closed, as represented in fig. 2. When the drawer is drawn slightly forward the stop 7L is removed from under the tubes B, which permits the balls a to pass down.

into the drawer D, from whence they can be replaced in the tubes T when desired for use The magnets will of course be connected with a battery in the usual manner; the circuit being broken and closed by means of a spring and knob or handle located at the desk or seat of each voter, the magnet with which he communicates being numbered't'o correspond with the number of his seat, or, if preferred, his name may be added as well as the number. As each person must have the means of voting either yes. or nay at will thqc will of course be two knobs, one answering to the yen. ball, on the left-hand side (in this C180,) and the other to' the nay ball on the right-hand side, both bells being marked with the same number or name of the voter. With a magnet constructed as I have described, whenever n current of electricity is sent through the wire t or coil, the end of the tube T will become a pole of the mpgnet, and will attract the ironbnll a to it. The ball a being placed inside/of the tube T,at or near its centre, ns shown in fig. will be drawn outward to the end-of the tube, and the momentum or impulse thus imparted to'the ball a will carry it entirely out of the tube, when, although it may be still attracted by the end thereof, it will drop down into the spout c, and-rolling down the incline. will enter the tube 13 and drop to the bottom thereof, the successive balls entering the tube being arranged one above another as shown in fig. 1. If the current should be of such intensity as to cause tbeball to adhere to the end of the tube '1 and prevent it from falling into the spout c,"it is obvious that the moment the current is broken, which must occur as soon as the hand of the voter is removed from the knob, it will then be released and pursue its course into the tube 13. A I l I To perform the operation, the balls 1! nre first placed one in each cell or tube T, as represented in figs. 1 and 2, these tubes being slightly inclined backward to prevent the balls from fullingout prematurely. When a members name is culled, he touches the yen or nay knob at his desk, and instantly the ball corresponding to his number on the side corresponding with the knob he has touched, lenps out of its cell and passing along the inclined spout falls into the tube B on the yet. or nay side, as the case may be and thus as'cach member in-succession touches bis knob, his ball arranges itself in the proper tube on the you or nay sidcaceording as he desires to record his vote. The sum total of the votes on either or both sides can then be told at a glanceby the numbers on the tubes B, and thus the voting is accomplished and theresult told inla infinitely short space of time. When the voting is over, the draw D is pulled forward, which permits the balls'to fall from the tubes B into the drawer, from whence they are taken by a boy or other attendant and replaced in the cells at leisure. It-will thus be seen that the object is accomplished in a most eflicient :md speedy manner and by an exceedingly simple device, in which there is not a single jointor moving piece of mechanism except the knob for closing the circuit. Byt-he peculiar construetionof the mngnet, and the use of the hollowball, the apparatus can bcopernt-ed with an exceedingly small battery, and at a trifling expense, and without liability of becoming deranged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is-- 1. The combination of :1 series of hollow magnets for ejecting the balls, as described, with the receiving troughs c, and tubes B, arranged to operate substantially as shown and described, i

2. In eo'mbination w'ith' the tubes 13 open at their lower ends, I claim the drawer D provided with the stop n, when arranged to operate as herein described.

' JOHN BLACKIE.

Witnesses: y

W. G. Donor, P. '1. Devon. 

